Robert Wise

 Robert Wise


West Side Story (1961)

The Haunting (1963)

The Sound of Music (1965)


RANKED:


3. The Haunting (1963)


Robert Wise's rare horror film, 1963's "The Haunting," brings to life the 1959 novel "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. Centering on a group of strangers investigating the paranormal activities of an isolated mansion, "The Haunting" provides enough psychological thrills to render it a classic. It is the first of many adaptations of Jackson's memorable novel.



2. West Side Story (1961)


What version of "West Side Story" is more popular amongst the American collective consciousness: The original 1957 Broadway production or the 1961 film adaptation? If you have to think about it, then the film version merits some level of respectability. The highest grossing film of 1961 and the winner of 11 Academy Awards, 1961's "West Side Story" was a monumental movie musical in the history of American cinema. It takes the classic story of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and adapts it to a modern-day New York City. Its observations and discussions of race relations was also a timely subject matter in the early 1960s. Beyond its social focus, "West Side Story" is a memorable and iconic piece of film history.





1. The Sound of Music (1965)


Undoubtedly one of the most popular films in history, 1965's "The Sound of Music" continues to be in the forefront of conversations regarding great cinema. Its songs are iconic (and still sung), its Technicolor is remarkable, and its themes continue to be relevant. Winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film also was a commercial smash it, By 1966, it had surpassed "Gone with the Wind" at the U.S. box office to become the highest grossing film in history. Based on a Broadway music, which in turn was based on a real memoir of the Von Trapp family, "The Sound of Music" makes the audacious thematic claim that music, frivolity, and play are direct retaliations against authoritarian control and oppressive. While some may consider this 'rose-colored glasses' concept to be too romantic, the film leans into this romanticism - suggesting that in itself is a rebellious act. Beyond these anti-authoritarian themes, the film is flooded by iconic musical numbers that one rarely forgets. Its overall charm can be attributed to this, along with the undeniable charm of its stars, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. All these concepts swirl into a stew of triumphal concepts that make "The Sound of Music" one of the greatest commercial films in American cinematic history.

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